A recent business assessment of six commercial corridors in Boyle Heights has found that the area’s business community would benefit from establishing a Business Improvement District (BID) to better represent the needs of local commercial establishments. The study, still in its draft-form, also found that business owners could benefit from micro-loans and an entrepreneurial training program, among other recommendations.

The study and recommendations will be discussed today at a meeting of the Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council’s Transportation and Environment Committee (TEC). In an email to EGP, TEC Chair Carlos Montes said the study highlighted “some really glaring problems.”

The Boyle Heights Commercial and Retail Business Corridor Assessment & Business Registry, conducted in 2012 by the Valley Economic Development Corporation (VEDC) and sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, documented and surveyed businesses located on Marengo Street, Mission Road, Cesar Chavez Avenue, First Street, Whittier Boulevard, and Olympic Boulevard.

The group documented 685 businesses along the six corridors, of which 271 were interviewed, a participation rate of 40 percent.

The study is not yet complete and VEDC is still meeting with local organizations to get more information, according to VEDC Public Relations Specialist Lisa Winkle. The final study is expected to be completed in a couple of months, she told EGP.

In addition to collecting basic information regarding the types of commercial or retail businesses in the Los Angeles neighborhood, the assessment also sought feedback from business owners about the health of their businesses, the business climate, regional and infrastructure issues, and financial and/or technical assistance services needed.

The initial assessment found that businesses were most concerned with: inadequate customer parking and poorly maintained streets, sidewalks and trees. They want better street lighting and more frequent trash and garbage pickup.

Illegal vendor activity, gang activity, crime prevention, graffiti and vandalism are other areas of concern, as are LAPD response times and business relations, overzealous parking enforcement and code enforcement activities. They also said they want access to business assistance services and community outreach programs.

The draft study makes recommendations to address parking, infrastructure and maintenance, public safety and business assistance service issues.

Boyle Heights Neighborhood Council President Edward Padilla told EGP on Tuesday that while there was some enthusiasm about the study, “as it documented many evident truths about the community,” they study was “limited in scope.”

At a presentation on the study at a neighborhood council meeting late last year, a few First Street Business owners indicated they had not participated in the study, he said.

The BHNC board also had several concerns about the study.

“Some of our board members commented on lack of acknowledgement of 4th Street which is a significant business corridor, and because the study was conducted by a third party vendor hired by Chase, it was clear that its primary purpose was to generate business for them,” Padilla said.

Meanwhile, while the study is not yet complete, it has prompted the VEDC to open an office in the Boyle Heights area and to offer micro-loans of less than $5,000, Winkle said. The VEDC already has a micro-loan program that gives out loans less than $1,000, she added.

The Boyle Heights Chamber of Commerce is also aware of the study and while many of the problems identified are nothing new to business owners, Chamber board member Ralph Carmona told EGP he personally thinks that the VEDC’s micro-loan program could go a long way in helping start-up and struggling businesses.

Years ago, Carmona said, the chamber was involved in an effort to start a Business Improvement District in Boyle Heights, but it never came to fruition. He noted that the chamber is composed of volunteers and does not have the capacity to create and manage the district on its own.

The study is not the only item up for discussion at today’s neighborhood council committee meeting. TEC may also take up discussion on extending parking meter times from 1 to 2 hours and extending time on meters from 15 to 30 minutes for each 25-cents. Sidewalk repair, trash and police enforcement will also be discussed as part of the issues that could make the shopping districts more inviting to consumers.

The TEC meeting will take place from 6p.m. to 7:50 p.m. at the Benjamin Franklin Library, located at 2200 East 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033. For more information, contact TEC Chair Carlos Montes at cmontes@bhnc.net.

Former San Gabriel Valley Rep. Hilda Solis resigned yesterday as U.S. Secretary of Labor, saying she wants to spend more time closer to family and friends.

“Over the Christmas and New Year holidays with my family in California, I enjoyed my first opportunity in years to reflect on the past and my future, with an open mind and an open heart,” Solis wrote in a letter to Department of Labor employees. “After much discussion with family and close friends, I have decided to begin a new future, and return to the people and places I love and that have inspired and shaped my life.”

“Over the last four years, Secretary Solis has been a critical member of my economic team as we have worked to recover from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and strengthen the economy for the middle class,” Obama said.

“Her efforts have helped train workers for the jobs of the future, protect workers’ health and safety and put millions of Americans back to work. I am grateful to Secretary Solis for her steadfast commitment and service not only to the administration, but on behalf of the American people. I wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

Solis, an El Monte Democrat, was first elected to Congress in 2000 and re-elected four times.

She was first elected to public office in 1985 as a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees and to the Assembly in 1992. In 1994, she became the first Latina elected to the state Senate, serving in that body for six years until becoming a congresswoman.

Solis received a bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly Pomona and a master’s degree in public administration from USC. She worked in the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs during the Carter administration, later becoming a management analyst with the Civil Rights Division of the Office of Management and Budget.

Solis’ resignation had been widely anticipated, with most observers speculating she will run to replace Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina who is termed out.

Eastern Group Publications/EGPNews.com is making some changes this year, and one of those changes is to the mastheads of our 11 community newspapers, which will now contain both the logos for our Sun and Comet publications.

The move is in part a cost cutting measure, but also serves to emphasize that the communities we serve are not only linked geographically, but also by a large number of issues and resources.

Rest assured that the newspaper you are reading will continue to strive to bring you the best in community reporting in the years ahead.

We are always open to new ideas, story suggestions, news tips, and of course, responses to our reporting.This year, we are making an added push to get more editorial contributions directly from our community of readers, including editorial columns and opinion pieces, letters to the editor, as well as a variety of topics for our general news pages.

So, while our Front Page may look different, we are still your local community newspaper.

Let us know what you think or send us your contributions. You can contact us via email, service@egpnews.com, on our website, www.EGPNews.com or on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/pages/Eastern-Group-Publications or call (323) 341-7970.

The city of Vernon’s newly appointed Finance Director William F. Fox, pictured right, took a public oath of office during the city council meeting on Tuesday. (EGP photo by Nancy Martinez)

After an extensive hiring process that included multiple screenings and interviews, the city of Vernon chose William F. Fox to serve as its new finance director.

Fox was officially appointed late last month but took the oath of office during the city’s council meeting on Jan. 8.

“I am very gratified for the opportunity to work with the city of Vernon, both the businesses and the residents,” Fox told EGP. “I hope that I can deliver and give them quality financial reporting and help them in identifying and implementing financial opportunities to keep the city strong and vibrant.”

The city used a recruiting firm to indentify and interview applicants. The city council then interviewed the three highest-ranking candidates at a special council meeting on Dec. 6, where the city’s chamber of commerce also participated on the interview panel.

City Administrator Mark Whitworth introduced Fox at the city council meeting and said the new finance director had “quite a background”.

“His credentials are impeccable,” Whitworth told the audience. “As we build out our team we’re adding these people that really make a difference.”

Fox was appointed to the position on Dec. 21; his contract runs through Dec. 21, 2015.

Fox has spent most of his career in Southern California, and has worked for the Southern California Edison Company and the city of Glendale. He worked for the Las Vegas Valley Water District before being hired by Vernon.

“I’m glad to be back home to Southern California where I grew up, went to school and spent most of my life,” Fox said.

Meets every Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in the Hall of Administration: 500 W. Temple St. in Room 381B. For more information, call (213) 974-1424 or visit www.bos.co.la.ca.us. The next scheduled Board meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 15.

The Bell Gardens City Council meets the second and fourth Monday of the month at 6 p.m. at City Hall: 7100 S. Garfield Ave., Bell Gardens. For more information, call (562) 806-7700 or visit www.bellgardens.org. The next scheduled meeting is Jan. 14.

The Commerce City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 8 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers: 5655 Jillson St., Commerce 90040. For more information, call (323) 722-4805 or visit www.ci.commerce.ca.us . The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 15.

The Montebello City Council meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers: 1600 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello. For more information, call (323) 887-1363 or visit www.cityofmontebello.com. The next scheduled meeting is Jan. 23.

The Monterey Park City Council meets the first and third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at City Hall: 320 W. Newmark Ave., Monterey Park. For more information, call (626) 307-1458 or visit www.ci.monterey-park.ca.us. The next scheduled city council meeting is Jan. 16.

The Vernon City Council meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 9 a.m. at Vernon City Hall: 4305 S. Santa Fe Ave, Vernon. For more information call (323 583-8811 or visit www.cityofvernon.org. The next scheduled meeting is Jan. 22.

The Los Angeles City Council meets regularly Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. Meetings are held in the John Ferraro Council Chamber, Room 340, 200 N. Spring St., Los Angeles. For more information, call (213) 978-1059 or go to www.lacity.org. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 15.

Meets the fourth Monday of the month. For updates on council meetings visit www.asnc.us or call (323) 418-ASNC. The next scheduled meeting starts at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28 at Ramona Hall: 4580 North Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90065.

Meets every third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Cypress Recreation Center: 2630 Pepper Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90065. For more information, call (323) 221-4740 or visit www.empowerla.org/gcpnc. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 15.

Meets on the first Tuesday of the month from 7-9pm at Eagle Rock City Hall: 2035 Colorado Blvd. in Eagle Rock. For more information call (323) 254-5295 or visit www.eaglerockcouncil.org. The next scheduled meeting is on Feb. 5.

Meets the third Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Glassell Park Community Senior Center & Council District 13 Office: 3750 Verdugo Road. For more information call (323) 256-4762 or visit www.glassellparknc.com. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 15.

Meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Senior Center: 6152 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042. For more information, call (323) 256-8921 or visit www.empowerla.org/hhpnc. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 17.

Meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. at the El Sereno Senior Citizen Center: 4818 Klamath Place. For more information, visit www.la32nc.org or call (323) 226-9096. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Feb. 6.

Meets from 6-8pm on the first and third Thursday of the month at the Lincoln Heights Public Library: 2523 Workman Street, Los Angeles CA 90031. For more information call (323) 244-3549 or visit www.lincolnheightsnc.org. The next regularly scheduled meeting is today, Jan. 16.

The LAUSD Board of Education meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. Meetings are held at 333 S. Beaudry Ave., Los Angeles. For more information, contact the LAUSD at (213) 241-7002 or visit www.lausd.net. The next scheduled meeting is Jan. 15.

Montebello Unified School District / Distrito Escolar Unificado de Montebello

The MUSD School Board meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. Meetings are held in the Board Room at district headquarters: 123 S. Montebello Blvd., Montebello. For more information, call (323) 887-7900 or visit www.montebello.k12.ca.us. The next regularly scheduled meeting is Jan. 17.